Why are campus satires so funny? Because anyone who has spent time in a college town can picture these characters down to the ground. Smiley’s sharp writing shifts pov all over campus; a sensitive and hardworking research hog, a local farmer who has plans to revolutionize farming if he can just get past the secretary that runs the campus, a black first-year from Chicago stranded in the dorms at Moo U., a creative writing professor on the verge of tenure, his profoundly untalented student Gary, the econ professor who with a perfectly clear conscience recommends destroying the last virgin cloud forest, etc. etc. The episodic nature of these self absorbed folks comes to a satisfyingly tongue in cheek conclusion in the the spring semester, when all the storylines intersect. This book comes up often on lists of great comic novels and with good reason.
Highly recommended.
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I would like to read this book thanks to your lovely review. It’s going on Goodreads.
This is one of those good books with a bad cover. I always thought librarians could make a good display of these.
Reading it now…thanks!!!
I loved this book. Since I read it I’ve been haunted by the thought that Big Agriculture is hiding behind every corn stalk and I have an irrational love of giant pigs.